Running for me was always an on/off relationship. I ran during the summers to stay in shape for hockey and attempt to look good in a bikini then later in life I would sign up for a summer race for the same reasons, do a few training runs and then run as hard as I could come race day and take the rest of the year off doing the odd treadmil run at the gym.
Enter yoga 🧘♀️ ... the first consistent practice I truly craved and enjoyed since competitive hockey. At first the concept was foreign to me, what do you mean I don't have to compete with those around me to be the best yogi? And at that time I didn't stand a chance to win my minds yoga contest anyways😂
What kept me coming back was the feeling...Not only was I becoming physically stronger and looking stronger but I felt a sense of mentally clarity each time I left the studio. Suddenly I started caring what I was putting in my body because I could feel the difference it made showing up on my mat each day and I started nourishing myself instead of continuing on a cycle of fad dieting or restricting foods. Practicing regularly made me understand the concept of listening to my body, if I was practicing almost everyday I couldn't always be doing intense vinyasa or flow classes... the light bulb went off.. I'll incorporate foundational Hatha classes, yin, yang yin and if I happened to be in a more challenging class where my body was off that particular day maybe I back out of poses a little.
Enter running 🏃♀️ At this point I was starting to teach and specialize in a lot of 'yoga for athletes' I loved studying the biomechanics behind sport and the ways in that a yoga/mobility program can help bring balance into the athlete body and was almost done schooling as an RMT. I decided it was time to get my ass in gear and see where I could push my the 32 year old recreational athlete body. Luckily I had a role model in the sport (cousin Polly) who guided me from my run/walk program into truly learning how to properly train as a runner.
Once again my mind was blown when I learned you don't have to run as hard as you can for every single run 🤯 Fast forward 3 years and I can say that just like yoga - running has transformed me in the same ways.
With patience, persistence, a willingness to learn from all my teachers and a whole lot of trial and error my goal of staying overall injury free and pushing my limits continues.
Point of the story - you are never to old to learn new things. Keep growing & keep changing and most importantly find what you love and let it drive you❤️
Peace & Love ✌️